On February 28, 2023, the B.C. Minister of Finance announced the 2023 budget. We have highlighted the most important financial measures you need to know: • Tax credit changes. • Increases to the B.C Family Benefit. • Carbon tax changes. • Other important tax changes. • Healthcare and housing spending.

The end of 2022 is quickly approaching – which means for business owners, it's time to review tax tips and strategies to maximize your benefits.

It’s important to make the most of your retirement income. To do so, you need to be aware of what income is and isn’t taxable, and also how to make the most of the tax breaks you’re entitled to. This article outlines the four main steps you need to take to ensure you keep as much of your retirement income as possible: 1. Make a financial plan. 2. Split your pension income. 3. Buy an annuity. 4. Be aware of retirement-related tax breaks.

You have worked long and hard to build up your business, and now you are ready to withdraw money from your business' bank account. But you don't want to get hit with a huge tax bill. So here are 5 ways to withdraw money from your business in a tax-efficient manner.

Getting into the world of business is a meticulous task, but so is getting out of it Whether you’ve just hit the ground running on your business or if you’ve been at it for a long time, there is no better time to plan your exit strategy than now.

You know you need life insurance – but you’re not sure which kind is best for you. There are two main kinds of life insurance: • Permanent, which lasts for your entire life. Premiums can be more expensive, but you can also use the policy to build up cash value. • Term, which is only good for a set amount of time. Premiums are less expensive, and you cannot build up cash value – but coverage is easy to get and understand. We can help you determine which type of insurance is best for you and how much it will cost you.

On February 22, 2022, the B.C. Minister of Finance announced the 2022 budget. We have highlighted the most important financial measures you need to know, with an emphasis on: • Supporting sustainable economic development • Offering stronger healthcare • Expanding child care options and lowering fees • Supporting capital infrastructure • Providing funding for affordable housing • Promoting clean transportation Budget 2022 includes no changes to personal or corporate tax rates.

The end of 2021 is quickly approaching – which means it’s time to get everything in order, so you’re ready when it comes time to file your taxes. We’ve broken this article into the following sections to make it easy to find the tax tips you’re looking for: • Individuals, including details on COVID-19 benefits and important tax credits. • Investment considerations, including how to best contribute to TFSAs, RRSPs, and RDSPs. • Families, including how to claim childcare expenses and make the most of RESPs. • Retirees, including essential details about applying for CPP and OAS.

Life insurance is something you can use at any age. Whether you’re in your 20s or approaching retirement, you can benefit from having life insurance. Our article, “When should I buy life insurance”? can help you understand: • What the two main types of life insurance are – term and permanent • When term insurance is better for you and when permanent insurance is • How life insurance can benefit you at different ages • What costs life insurance can help your loved ones’ cover

Post-secondary education can be expensive, however having the opportunity to plan for it helps with making sure that you’re capable to meet the costs of education.

We can help you determine where you are today financially and where you want to go. We can provide you guidance on how to reach your short, medium and long term financial goals.

On April 19, 2021, the Federal Government released their 2021 budget. Our article contains highlights of the various financial measures in this budget, divided into three different sections: • Business Highlights, including an extension to COVID-19 Emergency Business Supports, new programs to support job creation, and a change in interest deductibility limits. • Individual Highlights, including details on the tax treatment and repayment of personal COVID-19 benefits (such as CERB), eligibility changes to the Disability Tax Credit, an increase in OAS for those 75 and up, and support for job skills retraining. • Additional Highlights, including a proposed federal minimum wage of $15, changes to the GST New Housing Rebate conditions, and new or increased taxes in areas such as luxury goods, tobacco, and Canadian housing owned by non-resident foreign owners.

On Friday, February 19, 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an extension to: - Canada Recovery Benefit - Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit - Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit - Employment Insurance

We’ve put together a financial calendar for 2021. It contains all the dates you need to know to make the most of your government benefits and investment options. Whether you want to bookmark this or print it out and post it somewhere prominent, you’ll have everything you need to know in one place!

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland recently provided the government's fall economic update. It included information on the government's strategy for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and its plan to help shape the recovery. We've summarized the highlights for you: • Corporate Tax Changes, including extensions to subsidy programs. • Personal Tax Changes, including additional Canada Child Benefit Plan payments and a new "Work from home" tax credit. • Indirect Tax Changes, including the proposal to charge GST/HST on services provided via digital platforms, as well as the temporary removal of GST/HST on face masks and shields. For business owners, as of December 4th, the CEBA loan has been expanded by an additional $20,000.

Segregated Funds and Mutual Funds often have many of the same benefits however there are key differences you should consider like Maturity and Death Benefit Guarantees.

Starting October 5, 2020, the Government of Canada will be accepting online applications for the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) and the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB).

On August 31st, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland announced the extension of the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) to October 31st, 2020. This will give small businesses 2 additional months to apply for the $40,000 loan. In addition, the Federal Government said it was working with financial institutions to make the CEBA program available to those with qualifying payroll or non-deferrable expenses that have so far been unable to apply due to not operating from a business banking account.

A financial plan looks at where you are today and where you want to go. It determines your short, medium and long term financial goals and how you can reach them.

On July 17th, Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced proposed changes to the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) that will expand the number of businesses that qualify for the program.

Great news for Canadians out of work and looking for work. The CERB will be extended another 8 weeks for a total of up to 24 weeks. The expanded CEBA will begin June 19th.

The Prime Minister outlined the expanded eligibility for the Canada Emergency Business Account and highlighted companies such as hair salon owners, independent gym owners with contracted trainers and local physio businesses will now be eligible. "If you are the sole owner-operator of a business, if your business relies on contractors, or if you have a family-owned business and you pay employees through dividends, you will now qualify." - PM Justin Trudeau

The intention for our "Guide to Covid-19: Government Relief Programs in Canada” is to help businesses and individuals to cut through the noise and make sure they’re getting all the help they can receive from the federal and provincial programs.

Great news for students worried about financially making ends meet. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the Canada Emergency Student Benefit which provides $1,250/month from May through August or $1,750/month for those taking care of someone else or have a disability. For students looking to volunteer to help fight COVID-19, the Canada Student Service Grant provides $1,000 to $5,000

On April 16th, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced support for to help small businesses with their rent for the months of April, May and June. The program is being worked out with the provinces and more details will be available shortly.

A big win today for some small business owners who previously did not qualify for the $500/week Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) or the 75% Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS).

Over the last few weeks, the financial market has taken a downturn amidst fears over Coronavirus. Understandably, you are concerned with your portfolio, it’s important to stay level-headed to avoid making financial missteps. However, staying level-headed doesn’t necessarily mean you sit there and do nothing. In fact, one consideration you can look is taking an active tax management approach. Tax loss selling is a strategy to crystallize or realize any capital losses in your non-registered accounts so it can be used to offset any capital gains.

March 27, 2019 - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced programs and measures focused on helping Small & Medium Sized Businesses and Entrepreneurs cope with the economic consequences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. “With these new measures, our hope is that employers being pushed to laying off people due to COVID-19 will think again,” Trudeau said. “And for those of you who have already had to lay off workers, we hope you will re-hire them.”

We know that clients have questions about the Federal government's economic response plan, we have included a summary of the information below specifically for business owners and employees.

We can help you determine where you are today financially and where you want to go. We can provide you guidance on how to reach your short, medium and long term financial goals.

The 2019 RRSP Tax Savings Calculator

If your corporate year end is December 31, it’s a great time to review your business finances. With the federal election over and no major business tax changes for this year, 2019 is a good year to make sure you are effectively tax planning. Please keep in mind that your business may be affected by the recent tax on split income (TOSI) and the passive investment income rules given they came into effect in 2018. These rules can be complicated, please don’t hesitate to consult us and your accountant to determine how this can affect your business finances.

While it’s great to have group coverage from your employer or association, in most cases, people don’t understand the that there are important differences when it comes to group life insurance vs. self owned life insurance.

What happens when the children grow up and they are no longer dependent on their parents? Estate planning for mature families and retirees can bring up a number of issues including family dynamics and harmony.

Writing an estate plan is important if you own personal assets but is all the more crucial if you also own your own business. This is due to the additional business complexities that need to be addressed, including tax issues, business succession and how to handle bigger and more complex estates. Seeking professional help from an accountant, lawyer or financial advisor is an effective way of dealing with such complexities.

The 2019 budget is titled “Investing in the Middle Class. Here are the highlights from the 2019 Federal Budget.

BC Finance Minister Carole James delivered the province's 2019 budget update on February 19, 2019. The budget anticipates a surplus of $274 million for the current year, $287 million for 2020 and $585 million in 2021. The biggest announcements are: ● BC Child Opportunity Benefit ● Interest Free Student Loans

If you are seeking ways to save in the most tax-efficient manner available, TFSAs and RRSPs can both be effective options for you to achieve your savings goals more quickly. However, each plan does have distinct differences and advantages / disadvantages. Let’s take a look at their key features